ACT IV

Creative direction, set design
& photography by Gioia Cheung, 2024
This is a photographic series composed of carefully crafted scenes, each resembling stills from a performative play. The narrative unfolds as a theatrical portrait of my parents relationship - where they are reenacting intimate moments from their married life as if staged in a grand theatre. Each scene takes inspiration from varying nuanced interactions within day-to-day experiences; ranging from conflict, daily routines, yearly celebrations to moments in between. These backdrops were hand-crafted at a miniature scale. My parent’s were added into the photo in post-production.




  

 

STRANGERS
AT HOME

Creative direction & photography
by Gioia Cheung, 2024
Capturing the essence of a mother-daughter relationship through the lens of two East-Asian females juxtaposed against the backdrop of an English home. Tension is laced throughout theseries, portraying the idea of recurrent conflicts unfolding in different corners of the house.



      
 




THAT
CHINESE
GIRL

Creative direction & photography
by Gioia Cheung, 2022
Published on Infringe Magazine
Through merging sculpture, portraiture and photography, the series achieves a borderline sculptural effect that is reminiscent of busts originating from Western culture. By reimagining a traditional Western portraiture technique, the intent was to reinscribe and challenge the embodiment of Asian women, putting forth an alternate perspective that expands standards.







TENDERNESS
OF TOUCH

Creative direction & photography
by Gioia Cheung, 2022

Published on Sicky Magazine
This photographic series is inspired by the tenderness of touch. It explores the different types ofphysical contact which are encountered in our daily lives. I’ve looked at how touch manifests itself invarying ways in relationships and friendships - from a cosy embrace, to someone leaning on yourshoulder, these fleeting interactions leave a warm imprint on our bodies. This series highlights theseintimate moments through a sculptural approach, with the aim of showcasing the warmth of a touch ina visible way, as if frozen in time.



REFRACTION

Creative direction & photography
by Gioia Cheung, 2021
We’ve all wondered what lies beneath the oceans when we are floating on top, there's a sense of curiosity of what lies beneath.  Similar to the game ‘guess what's in the box’, our minds naturally conjure up worst case scenarios as we are afraid of the unknown - ‘Refraction’ therefore uses bodies of water as an exploration of this notion.